Wire-fence-machine attachment



(No Model.) 2 ShecsSheet 1.

. E. P. SHELLABEEGER. WIRE FENCE MACHINE ATTACHMENT.

No. 599,976. Patented Mar. -1, 1898.

CIEI

an O 01] I n .A in x ZIQWSJeJ,

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. P. SHELLABERGER.

A WIEE EENCE MACHINE ATTACHMENT.

I No. 599,976. Patented Mar. 1,1898.

' the cables.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD F. SHELLABERGER, OF DE KALB, ILLINOIS.

WlRE-FENCE-MACHINE ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,976, dated March 1,1898. Application filed October 12, 1896. Serial No. 608,593. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, EDWARD F. 'SHELLABER- GER, of De Kalb, Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in \rVire- Fence Machines,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improve ments in that class ofmachinery used for making wire fabrics, and more particularly to thatclass of wire fabrics in which a series of longitudinal cable or strandwires are transversely connected by tie or stay wires; and the inventionconsists more particularly in an attachment for Wrapping the ends of thepickets'around the marginal strands or cables, so as to give to thefabric abetter finish and increase the strength of the fabric by givingthe tie or stay wires a firm hold upon the marginal strands.

My attachment may be applied to weavingmachines of widely Varyingconstruction; but as many forms of said machines are now used, andtherefore well known, I will show and refer to only such portions ofsuch 'ma chine as will be necessary to explain the relation of myinvention thereto.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing myimprovements attached to a weaving-machine, of which only the twistersare shown; and Figs. 2 to 10, inclusive, are detail views of thewrapping devices.

In the drawings are shown a line of twisters of well-known construction,said twisters being adapted to carry two wires 11 and 12 and said wiresbeing twisted together to form The several cables are connected togethertransversely by tie or stay wires 13, which are placed between and areinterwoven with the strands or cable-wires. The tie or stay wires may beformed upon a separate machine or interwoven with the strands from acontinuous wire and severed at proper intervals. Said tie or stay wiresare usually a little longer than the transverse width of the fabric, andthese projected ends have someconnected together and mounted in theirbearing. The part 14is a casting of circular form, having a'slot 16. inits body extending from one edge of the body past its center and nearlyto the opposite edge. The walls adjacent to said slot are beveled, asclearly shown at 17, Fig. 2. The part 15 has upon one margin thereof theperipheral gear-teeth 18 and a circumferential groove 19, extend ingthrough about one-half of the circumference of the body, with a roundedprotuber ance or bottom 20. The rear side of the part 15 is also curvedor rounded. These parts 14 and 15 may be secured together by screws 21and mounted in a bearing 22, having a lip or flange 23, workingin agroove between the body 14 and the gear-teeth 18. Said bearing will havean opening on its inner side to register with the slot 16 in the casting14. The part 15 has a transverseslot 24 to register with the slot 16,the slot 24 being shortened in the curved back portion of the part 15,as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The interior of this curved shell is alsochambered out around the base of said protuberance 20, as shown, forminga pocket 81. These parts 14 and 15 together constitute the means forwrapping the ends of the tie or stay wires around the marginal strands,and by reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that as the fabric is drawnaway from the twisters the projecting ends of the ties or stays willpass through slots 16 and 24 of these twisting devices, one of which ismounted at each side of the fabric, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Themarginal cables likewise pass through the slotted body of the wrappingor end-coiling devices, as shown in Fig. 8, and when the picket hasreached the position there shown its extremity will lie in the openingor circumferential groove of the body 15, resting within the pocket orchamber 31 of the part 15. The wrapping devices are then revolved, themeans for revolving them being shown in Fig. l and consisting of theshaft 25, driven by the rack 26 and carrying miter-gears 27, engagingsimilar gears 28 011 the short shafts 29, the latter having spur-gears30, meshing with the gear-teeth 18. This wrapping device is preferablyrotated two or'more times, so as to wrap or coil the ends of the tie orstay wires around the marginal strands at least twice, as shown inFig. 1. This wrapping is preferably effected during the intervals ofrest of the fabric and while additional pickets are being inserted.

The wrapping device will be located at such distance from the twistersas will enable the placing of the tie or stay wires between the strandsissuing from the twisters and may be arranged at any desired distancefrom the twisters, but of course with some definite relation to thedistance between adjacent tie or stay wires. Vhen the wrapping devicebegins to revolve, it is evident that the projecting ends of thetie-wire lie in line with the slots 24, their extremities resting withinthe chambers or pockets 31 of the shell above the bulb or protuberance.The cable or strand wire occupies an axial positionwith reference to therevolving body, and it is obviously desirable to maintain the projectingends of the tie or stay wire at substantially right angles to themarginal strands. It is also obvious that the ends will not begin to bewrapped until the body has performed a partial revolution, during whichtime the slots will have passed the ends of the tie or stay wire and thelatter will be engaged by the shoulders or solid portions 26. The bulbwill keep the end of the tie-wire crowded back into the chamber andprevent it from being bent down parallel to the cable-strand, thusinsuring its wrapping.

Vhile I have shown and described only one form of construction, I do notlimit my invention to the exact and specific form, as I am well awarethat the same may be varied. The curving or rounding of the rear wall orface of the twister-body enables the twister to revolve withouthindrance from the tie or stay, which will be crowded out of the waylaterally while the end of the stay is positioned within the chamber.

My invention is particularly applicable to the manufacture of fabric forwire fences, but may be used in the manufacture of fabric for otheruses.

I claim 1. A device for wrapping the ends of the transverse wires of awire fabric around the marginal strands of said fabric, comprising arotary body having a transverse slot or opening through which themarginal strand-wire and the end of the tie-wire may pass, said slotextending across the axis of said body, and said body having also acircumferential groove communicating with said slot, and means forrevolving said body axially with reference to the strand-wire,substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a metal bodyof circular form rotatably mounted and having a transverse slot oropening extending through its axis, a peripheral gear, and acircumferential groove, the bottom wall of said groove being rounded andthe rear portion of said body being curved and interiorly chambered,substantially as described.

3. A twisting mechanism for wire-fabric machines, consisting of acircular body adapted to be rotatably mounted in a suitable hearing andhaving a peripheral gear, a transverse slotextending through the axis ofsaid body, a circumferential groove extending approximately one-half wayaround said body and having a curved and sloping bottom wall, and therear portion of said body being interiorly chambered and said chambercommunicating with said transverse slot, substantially as described.

EDWARD F. SHELLABERGER.

Vitnesses:

JUnsoN BRENNER, \V. F. WILTBERGER.

